New frame structure for bridging operation in high-speed wireless personal area network and data transmitting method thereof

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a frame structure in a high-speed wireless personal area network (WPAN) and a message transmitting method thereof which enable communications among devices existing in different piconets by using a device that provides a bridging function in the IEEE 802.15.3 WPAN. In a high-speed WPAN system which includes a parent piconet having a plurality of devices and a child piconet using time slots allocated by the devices located in the parent piconet, and a bridge device located in the child piconet, that broadcasts information about the devices of the parent piconet and information about the devices of the child piconet to the devices included in the high-speed WPAN, and operates to perform a data transfer between a first specified device in the child piconet and a second specified device in the parent piconet. A specified device included in the high-speed WPAN constructs a MAC (Media Access Control) header data structure for a data transmission so that the data structure includes a source piconet identification (ID) field for indicating the piconet to which the specified device belongs, and a destination piconet ID field for indicating the destination piconet to which the destination device, to which the specified device intends to transmit data, belongs.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application claims priority, pursuant to 35 USC §119, to thatpatent application entitled “New Frame Structure For Bridging OperationIn High-Speed Wireless Personal Area Network And Data TransmittingMethod Thereof” filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Nov.24, 2003 and assigned Serial No. 2003-83782, the contents of which arehereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an IEEE 802.15.3 high-speed wirelesspersonal area network (WPAN) using an ultra-wide band (UWB), and moreparticularly to a high-speed WPAN which can support communications amongdevices included in different piconets in the high-speed WPAN.

2. Description of the Related Art

A wireless communication technique using UWB is a technique thatguarantees a transmission distance in the range of 10 m to 1 km. The UWBwireless communication technique had been used as a military wirelesscommunication technique by the US Department of Defense for the past 40years, and has been open to the nonmilitary sector by the FederalCommunications Commission (FCC), which is the US authority oncommunication frequencies.

The UWB wireless communication technique is a ultrahigh-speed wirelessdata transmitting technique using a bandwidth of several GHz, for hightransmitting speed (of 500 Mbps to 1 Gbps) with a low power consumption({fraction (1/100)} of the power consumption of a mobile phone or awireless LAN) in comparison to other existing transmission techniques,such as IEEE 802.11, Bluetooth, etc. The UWB wireless communicationtechnique can be used in diverse fields such as a short-distancepersonal communication network that connects a computer, peripheraldevices and home appliances to an ultrahigh-speed wireless interface ina short distance (up to 100 m), a radar for examining, by fluoroscopy,the interior of a building, a high-precision position measurement, adevice for preventing a car collision, an underground mine detector, asystem for preventing the loss of an article, or a detection of anobject inside a body, etc.

A standard for the UWB wireless communication technique has beenproposed as a high-speed wireless personal area network (WPAN) in IEEE802.15.3. In the IEEE 802 standards groups, IEEE 802.15.1 is a groupthat establishes the Bluetooth standards, and IEEE 802.11 is a groupthat establishes the wireless LAN standards.

Bluetooth has been commercialized as a widely known personal areanetwork (PAN), and has recently been applied to many network-relatedproducts. Bluetooth generally uses a frequency band of 2.4 GHz (i.e.,ISM band), and provides a personal area network (PAN) solution with itscommunication distance limited to less than 10 m. The wireless LAN ofthe IEEE 802.11 group that takes charge of the wireless LAN standard hasalready been standardized.

IEEE 802.15.3 has be divided into three task groups; TG1 (Task Group 1),TG2 and TG3. TG1 establishes the Bluetooth standards, and TG2 performstechnical analysis of methods for enabling Bluetooth products andexisting wireless LAN business to coexist. TG3 researches the standardof a high data rate PAN solution, and is now conducting research in atransmission system having transmission speeds of more than 55 Mbps.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary piconet designated among communicationdevices in an IEEE 802.15.3 high-speed wireless PAN.As shown the piconetthat forms the high-speed wireless PAN is composed of a plurality ofcommunication devices 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18. One device 10 among themoperates as a piconet coordinator (PNC). Here, the PNC serves as amaster of the corresponding piconet and performs synchronization withthe respective devices, manages time slots for data communication, andperforms other control operations.

PNC device 10 manages the time slots required for the communicationsamong the devices located in the piconet by using a message referred toas a beacon in order to perform synchronization with the connecteddevices 12, 14, 16 and 18. PNC 10 additionally serves to control a QoS(Quality of Signal), a power save mode, and piconet access.

As described above, the IEEE 802.15.3 device 10, serving as the piconetcoordinator, can designate the piconet. The device having a capabilityas the piconet coordinator forms the piconet by searching

channels in order to start the piconet, selecting one of the channelsthat is not in use, and broadcasts a beacon frame through the selectedchannel. The devices 12, 14, 16 and 18 that have received the broadcastbeacon frame set the channel for their communications in response to thereceived beacon frame. In this case, the PNC device 10 allocates andprovides IDs for the respective devices 12, 14, 16 and 18 that haveresponded to the beacon.

In another aspect, a device may take part in the piconet already formed,through an association procedure. That is, the device, which has movedfrom the outside onto the already formed piconet A, requests connectionwith a device in the piconet A . Accordingly, PNC device 10 provides asingle device ID to the device that has requested the connection., whichcan be used in the piconet A.

Through the above-described process, the piconet as shown in FIG. 1 isformed. Here, the respective devices 12, 14, 16 and 18, except for thePNC device 10, request PNC device 10 for data transmission. The PNCdevice 10 allocates communicable time slots to the respective devices12, 14, 16 and 18 in response to the data transmission request. When thePNC device 10 allocates the time slots to the respective devices 12, 14,16 and 18, it uses the beacon frame. The respective devices 12, 14, 16and 18 perform the data transmission in a time corresponding to the timeslot allocated by the PNC device 10.

When a device desires to terminate the communication in the piconet orto perform a disconnection, a piconet disassociation procedure isperformed between the PNC device 10 and the corresponding device. Inthis case, the PNC device 10 deletes information about the recordeddevice through the piconet disassociation procedure.

The piconet designated between the PNC device 10 and the respectivedevices 12, 14, 16 and 18 may be divided into an independent piconetwhich can independently allocate the time slots to the devices existingin the piconet, and a dependent piconet which distributes and allocatesthe time slots provided from a PNC device located outside the piconet tothe devices existing in the piconet. If a dependent piconet is newlyproduced in a independent piconet, the independent piconet at that timeis referred to as a parent piconet, and the newly produced dependentpiconet is referred to as a child piconet or a neighbor piconet. In thiscase, the independent piconet becomes the parent piconet, and thedependent piconet becomes the child piconet. In this case, the childpiconet (i.e., dependent piconet) shares and uses the channel providedfrom the PNC device of the parent piconet.

FIG. 2 is a view illustrating an example of a dependent piconetdesignated in the IEEE 802.15.3 high-speed wireless PAN network.

According to FIG. 2, the existing piconet is a parent piconet 30, and aPNC device of the parent piconet 30 is referred to as P-PNC device 32. Adevice having a capability of being a PNC device, except for the P-PNCdevice 32, among the devices 22, 32 and 42, which constitute the parentpiconet 30, can be defined as child piconet 20 (C-PNC).

P-PNC device 32 c, located in the parent piconet 30, allocates timeslots to the C-PNC device 22 and another device 34, which define thechild piconet, and transmits the beacon frame. Here, the C-PNC device 22is a device that performs a PNC function in the child piconet 20.

C-PNC device 22 may also define the child piconet 20, and separatelymanage and control the device 24 that is included in child piconet 20.The communication in the child piconet 20 can be performed only betweenthe devices 22 and 24 that define the child piconet 20.

Accordingly, the C-PNC device 22 is a member that is included in theparent piconet 30 and manages and controls the child piconet 20. Thus,the C-PNC device 22 can perform a communication with the devices 32 and34 in the parent piconet 30.

However, in the conventional IEEE 802.15.3 high-speed wireless PAN usingthe ultra-wide band (UWB), it is impossible to perform a communicationbetween the device 34 in the parent piconet 30 and the device 24 in thechild piconet 24. This results in inefficient communication betweendevices of different networks. Hence, there is a need in the industryfor a method and system for communicating between devices of differentnetworks

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve theabove-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art, and an object ofthe present invention is to provide a frame structure in a high-speedwireless personal area network (WPAN) and a message transmitting methodthereof that enables communications among devices existing in differentpiconets by using a device that provides a bridging function in the IEEE802.15.3 WPAN.

In order to accomplish this object, there is provided a new datastructure for a bridging operation in a high-speed wireless personalarea network (WPAN) system which includes a parent piconet and having aplurality of devices and a newly defined child piconet using time slotsallocated by the devices located in the parent piconet, the systemhaving a bridge device which is located in the child piconet, thatbroadcasts information about the devices of the parent piconet andinformation about the devices of the child piconet to the devicesincluded in the high-speed WPAN, and operates to perform a data transferbetween a first specified device included in the child piconet and asecond specified device included in the parent piconet, wherein aspecified device included in the high-speed WPAN constructs a MAC.(Media Access Control) header data structure for a data transmission sothat the data structure includes a source piconet identification (ID)field for indicating the piconet to which the specified device belongs,and a destination piconet identification (ID) field for indicating thedestination piconet to which the destination device, to which thespecified device intends to transmit data, belongs.

In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a datatransmitting method in a high-speed wireless personal area network(WPAN) which includes a parent piconet designated in advance and havinga plurality of devices, a newly designated child piconet using timeslots allocated by the devices located in the parent piconet, and abridge device which is located in the child piconet, broadcastsinformation about the devices of the parent piconet and informationabout the devices of the child piconet to the devices included in thehigh-speed WPAN so that the respective devices store complete deviceinformation, and operates to perform a data transfer between a firstspecified device included in the child piconet and a second specifieddevice included in the parent piconet, the data transmitting methodcomprising a first step of the first specified device being allocatedwith a first channel time for a data transmission from a first piconetcoordinator that is a piconet coordinator of the child piconet, andtransmitting data to the first piconet coordinator at the first channeltime, a second step of the first piconet coordinator buffering thetransmitted data, and a third step of the first piconet coordinatorbeing allocated with a second channel time for a data transmission froma second piconet coordinator that is a piconet coordinator of the parentpiconet, and transmitting the data to the second specified device at thesecond channel time.

In still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided adata transmitting method in a high-speed wireless personal area network(WPAN) which includes a parent piconet designated in advance and havinga plurality of devices, a newly designated child piconet using timeslots allocated by the devices located in the parent piconet, and abridge device which is located in the child piconet, broadcastsinformation about the devices of the parent piconet and informationabout the devices of the child piconet to the devices included in thehigh-speed WPAN so that the respective devices store device information,and operates to perform a data transfer between a first specified deviceincluded in the child piconet and a second specified device included inthe parent piconet, the data transmitting method comprising a first stepof the second specified device being allocated with a first channel timefor a data transmission from a first piconet coordinator, which is apiconet coordinator of the parent piconet, and transmitting data to asecond piconet coordinator, which is a piconet coordinator of the childpiconet at the first channel time, a second step of the second piconetcoordinator buffering the transmitted data, and a third step of thesecond piconet coordinator allocating a second channel time for the datatransmission, and transmitting the data to the second specified deviceat the second channel time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will be more apparent from the following detailed descriptiontaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating an example of a piconet designated amongdevices in an IEEE 802.15.3 high-speed wireless personal area network;

FIG. 2 is a view illustrating an example of a dependent piconetdesignated in an IEEE 802.15.3 high-speed wireless personal areanetwork;

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a message structure in a general IEEE802.15.3 high-speed wireless personal area network;

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a frame structure for communicationsbetween piconets in an IEEE 802.15.3 high-speed wireless personal areanetwork according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating an IEEE 802.15.3 high-speed wirelesspersonal area network enabling communications between different piconetsaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a switching operation of a bridgeaccording to PNID information according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating data communications among devicesthat belong to different piconets according to an embodiment of thepresent invention; and

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating data communications among devicesthat belong to different piconets according to another embodiment of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, a frame structure in a high-speed wireless personal areanetwork (WPAN) and a message transmitting method thereof according toembodiments of the present invention are described with reference to theaccompanying drawings. In the following description of the presentinvention, same drawing reference numerals are used for the sameelements even in different drawings. Also, a detailed description ofknown functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omittedwhen it may make the subject matter of the present invention ratherunclear.

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a message structure in a general IEEE802.15.3 high-speed wireless personal area network. As shown, themessage in the general IEEE 802.15.3 high-speed wireless personal areanetwork (WPAN) is composed of a MAC frame body 300 and a MAC header 310.The MAC frame body 300 is composed of a FSC 301 for an error control anda frame payload 302 that includes data to be transmitted.

The MAC header 310 includes a stream index field 303, composed of onebyte, for discriminating a message, a fragmentation control field 304,composed of three bytes, for a fragmentation control, an SrclD field305, composed of one byte, for displaying a source device, a DestIDfield 306, composed of one byte, for displaying a destination device, aPNID field 307, composed of two bytes, for displaying a piconet in whichdevices are located, and a frame control field 308, composed of twobytes, for a frame control.

Although the source device (e.g., SrcID field) and the destinationdevice (e.g., DestID field) may be divided from each other,communications between devices are basically performed only in onepiconet since there is only one PNID field 307.

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a frame structure for communicationsbetween piconets in an IEEE 802.15.3 high-speed wireless personal areanetwork according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 4, the frame structure has the same structure as theconventional frame structure as illustrated in FIG. 3, however, atwo-byte PNID field 307 is included wherein one-byte designates a sourcedevice and one-byte designates a destination device. Further, byindicating the positions of the respective piconets even if the sourcedevice and the destination device are located in different piconets, itbecome possible to perform communications between devices that belong todifferent piconets.

Undoubtedly, it is impossible to perform the communications only bydiscriminating between the source piconet and the destination piconet.That is, in order to perform the communications between the sourcepiconet and the destination piconet, an intermediate constructionbetween them is required. Such a construction is illustrated in FIG. 5.

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating an IEEE 802.15.3 high-speed wirelesspersonal area network enabling communications between different piconetsaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5, the IEEE 802.15.3 high-speed wireless personal areanetwork (WPAN) according to the present invention is composed of aparent piconet 50 and a child piconet 51. The parent piconet 50 includesa P-PNC device 501, a device 2 504, and a C-PNC/BRG device 502 of thechild piconet. The child piconet 51 includes the C-PNC/BRG device 502and a device 1 503.

Here, the C-PNC/BRG device 502 serves to perform a control operation soas to perform communications between the piconets. That is, theC-PNC/BRG device 502 provides the communications between a source deviceand a destination device using respective PNID values in the case that asource PNID and a destination PNID are separately provided as shown inFIG 4. The operation of the C-PNC/BRG device 502 according to thedifferent source PNID and destination PNID will be explained later withreference to FIG. 6.

In the construction of FIG. 5, the C-PNC/BRG device 502 additionallyserves as a bridge in addition to the functions related to aconventional C-PNC device. That is, the C-PNC/BRG device may not onlyserve as a piconet coordinator of the child piconet but also a bridgebetween the piconets. In the embodiment of the present invention shown,one device performs functions of both the child piconet coordinator andthe bridge. However, the C-PNC device and the bridge may be separatedfrom each other, and another of the devices in the child piconet mayperform the function of the bridge.

The operation of the bridge according to the present invention will nowbe explained.

First, the IEEE 802.15.3 high-speed WPAN is constructed in a manner thata plurality of devices that support the IEEE 802.15.3 high-speed WPANare connected together, i.e., located in a predetermined area, and oneof the devices operates as the piconet coordinator (PNC).

The P-PNC device 501 generates mapping information composed of MAC(Media Access Control) addresses of 64 bits and device IDs of 8 bitsusing information transmitted from the devices 502 and 504 in the parentpiconet, and stores and manages the mapping information in a P-MIB(Parent Piconet Management Information Base). Also, the P-PNC device 501broadcasts information about the devices 502 and 504 registered in theparent piconet 50 using a beacon frame.

Only the devices 502 and 504 registered in the parent piconet 50 canreceive the beacon frame broadcast by the P-PNC device 501. Therespective devices 502 and 504 in the parent piconet 50 generate mappinginformation about the devices 502 and 504 using information of thebeacon frame transmitted from the P-PNC device 501, store and manage themapping information in MIBs for the respective devices.

C-PNC/BRG device 502 that manages and controls the child piconet 51broadcasts information about the device 1 503 that exists in the childpiconet 51, which is not registered as mapping information of a C-MIB(Child Piconet Management Information Base), using the beacon frame.Here, only the device 503 that is registered as the child piconet 51 inthe C-PNC/BRG device 502 can receive the beacon frame.

Also, the device 1 503 stores and manages the mapping information aboutthe devices registered in C-MIB of the C-PNC/BRG device 502 in C-MIBsfor the respective devices using the beacon frame information broadcastfrom the C-PNC/BRG device 502.

As described above, in the conventional high-speed wireless PAN, thereis no way to share the information about the devices between the parentpiconet and the child piconet. However, according to the presentinvention, it is possible to share the information about the devicesbetween the parent piconet and the child piconet by the bridgingoperation.

Specifically, the device having the bridging function broadcasts theinformation about the devices which are located in the differentpiconets to the devices which exist in other piconets. Here, theinformation about the devices which exist in the different piconets iscalled bridging information. If the respective devices receive theinformation about the devices which exist in the different piconets,they generate B-MIB (Bridging Management Information Base) about thedevices of all the piconets which are connected through the receivedinformation about the devices of the different piconets.

Meanwhile, the device having the bridging function switches or transfersthe data transmitted from the devices located in the different piconets.

If the bridging operation is performed as described above, there is noexchange of information between the respective piconets although theconventional device ID is allocated, and thus overlapping of the deviceIDs by piconets can be prevented.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the switching operation of a bridgeaccording to PNID information according to an embodiment of the presentinvention. As shown in FIG. 6, if the bridge device according to thepresent invention receives data which includes a MAC header and a framebody (step 601), it confirms whether a source PNID included in the MACheader coincides with a destination PNID (step 602).

If it is confirmed that the source PNID coincides with the destinationPNID at step 602, the bridge device does not perform the data processthrough the bridge, but performs communications according to the dataprocessing method in the piconet through the PNC of the correspondingpiconet.

However, if it is confirmed that the source PNID does not coincide withthe destination PNID at step 602, the bridge device performs a bufferingof the transferred data (step 604), and waits for reception of a CTA(Channel Time Allocation) from the PNC of the piconet to which the datais to be transmitted (step 605). If the CTA is received from thepiconet, the bridge device transmits the data (step 606).

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating data communications among devicesthat belong to different piconets according to an embodiment of thepresent invention. In FIG. 7, an example of a data transmission from thedevice 1 503 that belongs to the child piconet to the device 2 504 thatbelongs to the parent piconet is shown.

In this illustrative example, the parent piconet and the child piconetare connected together (step 701), and MIBs of the respective devicesare stored through the bridging operation (step 702).

Device 1 503 requests a channel time to the C-PNC/BRG device 502 for thedata transmission (step 703). At this time, if the C-PNC/BRG device 502can use resources for a TDM type data allocation (step 704), ittransfers a channel time response to the device 1 503 (step 705).

The C-PNC/BRG device 502 forms a beacon in which control information isdescribed (step 706), and transmits the beacon which includes a streamCTA for the requested data transmission to the device 1 503 (step 707).The device 1 503, which has received the stream CTA, transmits the datastream to the C-PNC/BRG device 502 at the corresponding channel time(step 708).

The C-PNC/BRG device 502 performs a buffering of the transmitted datastream (step 709), requests a channel time to the PNC device 501 for thedata transmission (step 710). When the PNC 501 can use resources for aTDM type data allocation (step 711), it transfers a channel timeresponse to the PNC/BRG device 502 (step 712).

The PNC device 501 forms a beacon in which control information isdescribed (step 713), and transmits the beacon which includes a streamCTA for the requested data transmission to the C-PNC/BRG device 502(step 714). The C-PNC/BRG device 502, which has received the stream CTA,transmits the data stream to the device 2 504 at the correspondingchannel time (step 715). Since the C-PNC/BRG device 502 and the device 2504 perform the data transmission in the same piconet, the datatransmission is performed without passing through the PNC device 501.

For the above-described operation, it should be possible to confirm thepositions of the piconets for the respective devices. This becomespossible by providing the destination piconet ID and the source piconetID through the data structure according to the present invention asshown in FIG. 4. Also, for the data transmission between the piconets,it is required for the bridge as shown in FIG. 6 to perform the bridgingoperation according to the destination piconet ID and the source piconetID.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating data communications among devicesthat belong to different piconets according to another embodiment of thepresent invention. In FIG. 8, an example of a data transmission from thedevice 2 504 that belongs to the parent piconet to the device 1 503 thatbelongs to the child piconet is shown.

In this illustrative case, the parent piconet and the child piconet areconnected together (step 801), and MIBs of the respective devices arestored through the bridging operation (step 802).

Then, the device 2 504 requests a channel time to the PNC device 501 forthe data transmission (step 803). At this time, when the PNC device 501can use resources for a TDM type data allocation (step 804), ittransfers a channel time response to the device 2 504 (step 805).

The PNC device 501 forms a beacon in which control information isdescribed (step 806), and transmits the beacon which includes a streamCTA for the requested data transmission to the device 2 504 (step 807).The device 2 504, which has received the stream CTA, transmits the datastream to the C-PNC/BRG device 502 at the corresponding channel time(step 808). Since the C-PNC/BRG device 502 and the device 2 504 performthe data transmission in the same piconet, the data transmission isperformed without passing through the PNC device 501.

The C-PNC/BRG device 502 performs a buffering of the transmitted datastream (step 809), forms a beacon in which control information thatincludes the CTA is described (step 810), and transmits the data streamto the device 1 503 (step 811). Through the above-described method, itis possible to perform communications between the different piconets.

For the above-described operation, it should be possible to confirm thepositions of the piconets for the respective devices. This becomespossible by providing the destination piconet ID and the source piconetID through the data structure according to the present invention asshown in FIG. 4. Also, for the data transmission between the piconets,it is required for the bridge as shown in FIG. 6 to perform the bridgingoperation according to the destination piconet ID and the source piconetID.

The method according to the present invention as described above may beimplemented by a program, and stored in a recording medium (e.g., CDROM, floppy disc, hard disc, optomagnetic disc, etc.) in a form readablethrough a computer.

As described above, the frame structure in a high-speed WPAN using a UWBand the message transmitting method thereof according to the presentinvention enables communications among devices existing in differentpiconets by using a device that provides a bridging function in the IEEE802.15.3 WPAN.

Also, the present invention broadcasts information of all the devicesusing a bridging device, and can avoid overlapping of the device IDs.

Although one child piconet and one parent piconet have been described inthe embodiment of the present invention, it will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art that the present invention can also be applied tocommunications among plural piconets which are constructed in a mannerthat a first child piconet, a second child piconet that has the firstchild piconet as its parent piconet, a third child piconet that has thesecond child piconet as its parent piconet, etc., are connected inseries.

Also, the present invention can also be applied to communications amongplural piconets which are constructed in a manner that plural devices ina parent piconet designate their child piconets, respectively.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference tocertain preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention asdefined by the appended claims.

1. A data structure for a bridging operation in a high-speed wirelesspersonal area network (WPAN) system that includes a parent piconethaving a plurality of devices, a child piconet using time slotsallocated by the devices located in the parent piconet, and a bridgedevice, located in the child piconet that broadcasts information aboutthe devices of the parent piconet and information about the devices ofthe child piconet to the devices included in the high-speed WPAN, andoperates to perform a data transfer between a first specified deviceincluded in one piconet and a second specified device included in asecond piconet, wherein a specified device included in the high-speedWPAN constructs a MAC (Media Access Control) header data structure for adata transmission so that the data structure includes a source piconetidentification (ID) field for indicating the piconet to which thespecified device belongs, and a destination piconet identification (ID)field for indicating the destination piconet to which the destinationdevice, to which the specified device intends to transmit data, belongs.2. The data structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bridge deviceperforms an operation that includes: a first step of receiving data fromthe first specified device; a second step of comparing a value of thesource piconet ID field included in the data from the first specifieddevice with a value of the destination piconet ID field; a third step ofterminating a bridging operation with respect to the data if the valueof the source piconet ID field is equal to the value of the destinationpiconet ID field as a result of comparison at the second step; a fourthstep of buffering the data if the value of the source piconet ID fieldis different from the value of the destination piconet ID field as aresult of comparison at the second step; and a fifth step of receiving atime allocation message from the destination piconet, and transmittingthe buffered data at a time allocated by the time allocation message. 3.The data structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bridge deviceoperates as a piconet coordinator of the child piconet.
 4. The datastructure as claimed in claim 1, wherein both the source piconet IDfield and the destination piconet ID field are each composed of onebyte.
 5. The data structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein informationabout the devices included in the high-speed WPAN system is broadcastthrough the bridge device, so that overlapping of device IDs among thedevices is prevented.
 6. A data transmitting method in a high-speedwireless personal area network (WPAN) that includes a parent piconethaving a plurality of devices, a child piconet using time slotsallocated by the devices located in the parent piconet, and a bridgedevice located in the child piconet, that broadcasts information aboutthe devices of the parent piconet and information about the devices ofthe child piconet to the devices included in the high-speed WPAN so thatthe respective devices store device information, and operates to performa data transfer between a first specified device included in the childpiconet and a second specified device included in the parent piconet,the data transmitting method comprising the steps of: allocating thefirst specified device with a first channel time for a data transmissionfrom a first piconet coordinator, which is a piconet coordinator of thechild piconet, and transmitting data to the first piconet coordinator atthe first channel time; buffering the transmitted data in the firstpiconet coordinator; and allocating the first piconet coordinator with asecond channel time for a data transmission from a second piconetcoordinator that is a piconet coordinator of the parent piconet, andtransmitting the data to the second specified device at the secondchannel time.
 7. The data transmitting method as claimed in claim 6,wherein the step of allocating a first channel times comprises the stepsof: requesting, by the first specified device, a channel time of thefirst piconet coordinator that is the piconet coordinator of the childpiconet; confirming in the first piconet coordinator, which has receivedthe channel time request, whether resources can be used, and respondingto the channel time request; forming a beacon that includes the firstchannel time in the first piconet coordinator, which has responded tothe channel time request, , and transferring the beacon to the firstspecified device; and transferring, by the first specified device, thedata to the first piconet coordinator at the first channel time.
 8. Thedata transmitting method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the step ofallocating a second channel time comprises the steps of: requesting, bythe first piconet coordinator, a channel time of the second piconetcoordinator that is a piconet coordinator of the parent piconet;confirming in the second piconet coordinator, which has received thechannel time request, whether resources can be used, and responding tothe channel time request; forming a beacon that includes the secondchannel time in the second piconet coordinator, which has responded tothe channel time request, , and transferring the beacon to the firstpiconet coordinator; and transferring, by the first piconet coordinator,the data to the second device at the second channel time.
 9. The datatransmitting method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first piconetcoordinator is the bridge device.
 10. A data transmitting method in ahigh-speed wireless personal area network (WPAN) which includes a parentpiconet having a plurality of devices, a child piconet using time slotsallocated by the devices located in the parent piconet, and a bridgedevice located in the child piconet, that broadcasts information aboutthe devices of the parent piconet and information about the devices ofthe child piconet to the devices included in the high-speed WPAN so thatthe respective devices store device information, and operates to performa data transfer between a first specified device included in the childpiconet and a second specified device included in the parent piconet,the data transmitting method comprising the steps of: allocating in thesecond specified device a first channel time for a data transmissionfrom a first piconet coordinator, which is a piconet coordinator of theparent piconet, and transmitting data to a second piconet coordinator,which is a piconet coordinator of the child piconet at the first channeltime; buffering the transmitted data; and allocating, in the secondpiconet coordinator, a second channel time for the data transmission,and transmitting the data to the second specified device at the secondchannel time.
 11. The data transmitting method as claimed in claim 10,wherein the step of allocating a first channel time comprises the stepsof: requesting, by the second specified device. a channel time of thefirst piconet coordinator that is the piconet coordinator of the parentpiconet; confirming in the first piconet coordinator, which has receivedthe channel time request, whether resources can be used, and respondingto the channel time request; forming a beacon that includes the firstchannel time by the first piconet coordinator, which has responded tothe channel time request, and transferring the beacon to the firstspecified device; and transferring, by the first specified device, thedata to the second piconet coordinator at the first channel time. 12.The data transmitting method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the step ofallocating a second channel time comprises the steps of: forming abeacon that includes the second channel time in the second piconetcoordinator; and transferring, by the second piconet coordinator, thedata to the second specified device at the second channel time.
 13. Thedata transmitting method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the secondpiconet coordinator is the bridge device.